Alexandra Sowa, M.D., a doctor of internal medicine and a mom, shares 6 common fertility mistakes women make, from waiting until they’re pregnant to start taking prenatal vitamins to missing their ovulation window.
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Hi, I’m Dr. Alexandra Sowa. Today I’m going to talk to you about common fertility mistakes. Most women know that they need to start taking a prenatal vitamin once they’re pregnant. But few people know… That you should actually start taking folic acid supplementation six months before conception. This will give your body enough time to build up folic acid levels. So it is really important to start taking supplementation before you are even pregnant. Next, most people assume when they are having trouble getting pregnant that it is the woman’s fault. Actually 20% of the time a man is the sole reason for infertility issues. So it’s really important to not only have the woman worked up, but also the man. Another common mistake is just waiting too long to talk to your doctor. If you’re under the age of 35, and you’ve been trying for more than a year, it’s time to check in with your doctor. But if you’re over the age of 35 and you’ve been trying for six months, It would be time to seek out medical help. A common mistake would be waiting until after you’ve ovulated to have sex. At this point you’ve probably missed your window. You actually wanna have sex in the days leading up to ovulation, about three to four days before ovulation, and one to two days after, and this is because sperm lives in the body for up to 72 hours, but once an egg is released, it only has about 24 hours of viability, so it’s really important to identify when you are ovulating. Next Don’t ignore any health issues you might have. If you have high blood pressure or diabetes or hypothyroidism, these things can keep you from getting pregnant. So, it’s really important to talk to your doctor and work with your doctor about getting these things under control. Finally, don’t stress out. It can be very easy Need to get all worked up and really stressed if you don’t get pregnant right away. But it’s important to know that only 20% of couples who will ultimately have a successful pregnancy get pregnant each month. It can take a while. So take a deep breath, relax and have some fun. [MUSIC]
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